Grudge
by Dark Amphithere
Summary: "You're the second thing I love most. The first is the thought of killing you." A twisted tale of pain, venegance, and love. The story of a Mismagius and her love, a Banette. I do not own Pokemon- only OCs. Rated T for dark themes.


Yeah…uh…I have NO idea what possessed me to write this. Of course, I haven't written anything dark in god knows how long, so…

This is going to be dark…and angsty…and romantic…and tragedy…all on a bun! :D

The story is set in the female Mismagius's point of view. Also, it takes place after the time of Diamond/Pearl/Platinum- basically, all of the cities are larger and more developed now. Like Veilstone- it appears to be pretty small in the game- in this, it's a huge, bustling city.

I don't know WHY I love the Banette/Mismagius coupling so much, but I just do. Maybe it's because Shuppet and Misdreavus work so well together. Or maybe it's the fact that Banette is the most badass ghost ever (screw Gengar! BANETTE HAS A GOLD TOOTH! A GOLD TOOTH! RARGH!).

Anyways *cough* I hope you enjoy this tale that I call…Grudge.

**000**

Life as a ghost Pokémon isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I mean, sure you get to scare the occasional person, and you get immortality and live forever, but other than that, it isn't really much. You basically live forever, and let me tell you, forever has a LOT of time to be killed. People are always trying to achieve something in their lives- but what do you do once you get EVERYTHING you've ever wanted?

Well, people and other Pokémon usually don't realize that because they die first. Duh.

And so, when you're a ghost Pokémon, free of a normal mortal's lifespan, you've got two choices. One, you can join a trainer on their journey to stardom. I've heard from a couple of other ghosts that it's a good life, with good food, friendship, and happiness. And it seems to be true- they all DO seem happy.

But that life (or afterlife) isn't for me. I've never been much of a fighter- I mean, I can if I HAVE to- and the idea of me being bossed around by some kid isn't very appealing. Not to mention, my natural dislike of other people. I'm not the friendliest lady in the world.

However, the only other option, the second choice, is to live wild, and relax. After all, you're a ghost: you're immortal. Other Pokémon are afraid of you. Who's going to stop you from doing what you want? Nobody, that's who.

But while most people would probably be overjoyed to have all of this free time, I find it monotonous. I was bored. I sometimes wished I could just die and move on. Not because I was sad or suicidal- but because my life totally and utterly mundane.

Or at least it was…

Until I met HIM.

**000**

I'd never forget that night. It was a dark and stormy night…

Sounds like the opening to your typical horror story, right? Well, then again, when you think about it…we are ghosts…so maybe it really is a horror story. But I should really get back on topic…and stay there.

It was another ghost gathering…y'see, we ghosts usually gathering in a large city or town once in a while, and when night falls, we all wreak havoc. Play pranks on humans, scare them when they walk around corners, blow up their toasters (a personal favorite of the Rotom). This time, we were meeting in Jubilife City…one of the largest cities, with some of the richest pickings of targets. So, it was the usual, basically…Sableye and Gengar making faces, Gastly and Misdreavus floating through walls, Shuppets and Mismagius causing mischief all around. The foggy atmosphere and steady downpour of rain made the conditions even better.

We were all planning our next big prank. Our current leader at the time, and an old friend of mine, Darkling the Shiny Gengar, had decided that we'd hide in an alley, then all pop out and scare some random civilian. We were all excited- a Rotom had possessed a camera in order to take a picture of the event.

We waited in the alley…but while we were, my spiritual senses picked up something. My kind have the strongest senses, and since I was the only Mismagius currently with the group, I knew only I could really sense this…feeling, although the Misdreavus and Shuppets exchanged looks of confusion for a moment. I inconspicuously left the group, floating around through the streets of Jubilife. I eventually found my way to the poorer section of the great city, the part where not many people knew about, and where even less people actually went. My senses picked up an even stronger energy. It felt almost like…pain…but in a peculiar way. Remorse? Regret? Fear? And underneath it all, murderous thoughts? I couldn't be sure…I'd need to find the source. Normally, I ignore little things like this, but for some reason, this time I just couldn't keep away.

I was in the dark alleys now. The ones that were lit by only a single streetlight. The strange, spiritual energy was stronger than ever when I finally rounded a corner. It was there where the source was.

But I saw nothing. At least, not at first. But as I continued to look around in confusion, I finally noticed something lying on the ground. It was gray, and it looked like…a doll? But when I looked at it more closely, I realized it wasn't a doll…it was a Pokémon! From the look of it…it was a Banette. I moved more closely.

Oh yes. It was definitely a Banette. It started to stir as I drew closer. I could see its gray body, with a long gray tail sticking out of its head, and its yellow spiky tail behind it. Its eyes opened as it looked up at me, both red orbs focusing on me as I drew closer. Its mouth was a golden zipper, which grinned up at me. Of course, Banette were known to almost always be smiling, even if they weren't amused at all.

Still, it was surprising to see a Banette here. Among the ghosts, Banette were fairly rare. The most common of us were the Gengar line, the Dusknoir line, and the Sableye. My kind were a bit less common, but still fairly common among our kind. The Drifloon and Drifblim, while not rare, preferred the company of each other instead of others. Spiritomb weren't very mobile, and most Pokémon didn't want to carry them, so they most often stayed by themselves. Rotom were rare, but many of them joined in on the fun. Froslass were solitary creatures. Shedinja were gloomy and sad, so most ghosts avoided them. And while you would often find a Shuppet joining up with all of the Gengar and Haunters, a Banette was a different story. They were loners, like the Froslass, for the most part.

But despite the fact that the Pokémon was antisocial, it hopefully wouldn't be so foolish as to refuse help from another ghost.

"Excuse me…," I said, floating down towards the Pokémon. "My name is Violet. Are you alright? Do you need any help."

He (now that I was close enough, I could confirm it was a boy) continued to leer at me, making me feel rather awkward. I was wondering if he even saw me. He acted as if nothing was there. Did he even know how to speak? But then I was surprised once more, when he finally spoke. I still remember the first thing he ever said to me.

"Hello. Can I kill you?"

Backing away slowly, I shook my head and floated away. He didn't try and follow me. He just sat there, red eyes upon me as I floated away.

While I was a bit cautious throughout the rest of the night, but I thought that I would never see him again.

I was wrong.

**000**

After a few weeks, I returned to my hometown in Veilstone City. I always loved the large buildings, the complexes of apartments. It was also a very popular city, giving me plenty of people to frighten. Not to mention, other aspects…Veilstone's gym was a fighting gym, full of fighting Pokémon that were full of themselves. Ha! Show them a ghost Pokémon who their muscles won't even hurt…they run away faster than a Ninjask.

I had many friends in the area. But tonight, most of them had other plans. I wandered the city streets, bored and alone. Not many people were out this evening. I rounded a corner into a back alley. I thought I heard someone behind me. Maybe there WAS someone I could scare this evening. I turned around, but nothing was there. Frowning to myself, I continued on my way.

As I continued to float, I thought I heard a sinister chuckle. No, I didn't think- I KNEW I heard something. This time, I whirled around really quick, hoping to catch my stalker off guard.

But once again, nothing was there. I shook my head. I was supposed to do the scaring, not be the one being scared! I turned around, and almost let out a scream of shock.

There was that Banette from not too long ago, inches away from my face. His eyes were gleaming, and that golden catlike grin was on his face.

"Found you," he rasped. I backed away slowly. He had followed me all the way from Saffron City? I was in Sinnoh! We were in different regions! But he had stalked me all the way here.

"Why are you here?" I asked, keeping my voice calm, despite my unease.

"To kill you," he said pleasantly, as if this was completely normal.

I frowned. Had he figured out that I was a ghost? He couldn't kill me…but I wanted some more information.

"What is your name?" I asked.

He gave me a confused look.

"What do people call you? For example, I'm Violet."

"Violet?" he said, almost asking a question. His grin faltered a little, and it looked like he was thinking. Then he shook his head.

"I was once called Raggedy," he said quietly.

"Okay, then Raggedy," I said to him. "Why are you here?"

"To kill you," he said, with a crooked smile.

"But you need to be here for SOME reason," I protested. "Other than killing me."

"No," the Banette said, shaking his head. "I just want to kill you. Nothing more, and nothing less."

"Well you can't kill me," I said. "I'm a ghost Pokémon, just like you. You should know that we can't die."

His eyes narrowed for a moment, before he turned and floated away.

"Haha," I muttered under my breath. He turned and raised one of his arms, about to strike me. I flinched backwards.

"I'll be back," he hissed, smirking at me. And somehow, I knew he meant it.

**000**

I didn't see him for weeks after that. But instead of being relieved, I was worried. He said he'd be back- and since he was willing to travel to another region to find me, I knew that being in the same town wouldn't stop him.

But after about a month of waiting, instead of being worried myself, I found myself worried about him. He said he'd be back…but I haven't even heard about him. It was like he was avoiding me…

Or he was plotting my demise and waiting for the most opportune moment to strike. One of the two, anyway.

But in our next meeting, he didn't find me. I found him. There he was, at around three in the morning, sitting on the sidewalk under a dim streetlight. He looked oddly…lost in a way. Instead of the psycho that was after my "afterlife", he looked thoughtful…thoughtful, but grim. I pondered to myself…should I go down there, and put myself at risk? Or maybe help out someone who had a problem?

Despite loving to make people freak out and spread misery, I was a nice ghost. And when I saw someone who looked as if they were troubled, I tried to help. Sighing, I floated down next to him.

He looked at me, almost surprised. "I'm supposed to find you. Not the other way around."

"You're acting like this is a game of hide and seek," I said, shaking my head.

"Isn't it?" he asked, grinning widely. I sighed again.

"You looked troubled," I ventured.

"Looks can be deceiving."

So he didn't want to talk. I'd worm it out of him.

"Alright, Raggedy, why are you here?" I asked.

"We've gone over this. I want to kill you, remember?"

"But WHY do you want to kill me?" I asked. "And how did you wind up here in the first place?"

I had heard the story of a Banette from others, but I had never heard it from the source. He let out a ragged sigh.

"I was once a doll, owned by a lovely little girl named Victoria," he said wistfully, almost longingly. "She gave me my name, calling me Raggedy…as I was found at a thrift store, already ragged and worn. But no matter how dirty and old I looked, she loved me. And I…I was happy to be loved."

"But, over the years, she grew up. She got real friends, and real Pokémon to play with. I was shoved under the bed and forgotten. Eventually, after I became even more dusty and worn, she was cleaning out her room when she was moving away. She found me, stared at me for a moment, before tossing her 'beloved dolly' into a garbage bag. I was thrown into a dump truck, taken to a dumpster, and thrown away."

"I didn't know," I said softly, consolingly.

"All I remember was the darkness, the smell…and the pain…I was horrified. Wasn't I her best friend? Wasn't I needed? Apparently not. But as time went on…my thoughts grew from horrified…to sad…to annoyed…to aggravated…to angry…to hateful. I wanted vengeance. I wanted justice. I wanted REVENGE."

"When I woke up…it was raining. I fell in a puddle. When I got up, I saw my new reflection in the water. Scared, I blacked out. The next time awoke, there was someone there. You."

"Yes…that was when I found you," I agreed.

"So, now you have my apologies," he said.

Wait. What?

"You're apologizing to me?" I asked, confused. "Why?"

"I mistook you as my owner, coming to find me. Your names sound very similar- Violet and Victoria, or Vicky, as I'd call her. And for those reasons, I wanted to kill you, believing you to be my owner. And THAT is why I followed you here."

"So…the only reason why you wanted to kill me is because you thought I was your old girl owner?"

"Exactly. And for that, I am sorry."

"Apology accepted."

He grinned, his eyes gleaming. "I'm glad to hear it."

"So does this mean you'll stop threatening to kill me?" I asked, smiling.

"No."

Wait, what? But he just said-

"You just said-"

"I said I wanted to kill you for being my old owner. But you're not. I'm sorry for trying to kill you for having your identity being mistaken. Now I just want to kill YOU- and this time, I mean you, Violet."

I shivered.

"I still want to kill Vicky. But I want to kill you, too…"

He leaned closer to me, looking psychotic. He raised his arm, but I never knew what he would do, as I floated away as fast as possible.

**000**

Our meetings grew more frequent after that. He would randomly find me in the dead of the night, and we would simply talk for awhile. The topic of him murdering me still rose up frequently, but other than that, he was almost normal. Friendly. Charming, even. We would discuss tactics on scaring people, the latest gossip, and go and taunt fighting types together. I thought I scared them, but Banette made Maylene's Lucario piss itself. He had a talent, that's for sure.

However, these meetings were sort of…private. Raggedy had a rather dark reputation throughout Veilstone. My friend Darkling mentioned that the Banette was a bit more sadistic than most of the ghosts. He had apparently appeared in front of a mother and child holding a "knife", which had apparently just been a pebble he had dipped in ketchup on the ground. He apparently held a young Bidoof over the edge of a tall building, and dropped it, before catching it and setting it down on the ground. He even scared some of the ghosts- I had to calm a wailing Drifloon and Misdreavus after Raggedy apparently popped out from behind a tree, screaming, and scaring them to death…well, not really death, seeing as they were never living, but you get the point.

I sometimes talked to him about this behavior. He'd reply by saying there was nothing wrong with it.

"Why do you always act so…cruel?" I asked one day.

"The world is a cruel place," he responded. He smirked. "Might as well send the message to everyone I meet."

"Don't you think you take it too far?"

"Do you?" he shot back. "Or do your FRIENDS simply take it too far, and use YOU to talk to me?"

"They don't even know that we have meetings like this," I said, shaking my head.

"We should keep it that way," Raggedy muttered quietly. "I don't want them to kick you out of their little club."

That was almost nice of him. I gave him a skeptical look.

"Why are you always hanging around with me?"

"Well, as pathetic as this sounds, Violet, you're my only friend in this world," he said, staring up at me.

"Haven't you even tried to make friends with the other ghosts?"

"I have, yes."

"Let me guess: they didn't take to kindly of you threatening to kill them?"

He smiled. "Smart girl."

**000**

Raggedy would often take long trips, for up to weeks at a time. During this time, I'd feel rather…lonely, in a sense. I was sort of used to having him around, scaring the crap out of me. It was unnerving, but it was normal. My two best friends, Shriek (another Mismagius) and Froza (a Froslass) had both gotten boyfriends (as hard as it was to believe, ghost Pokémon actually DID get intimate with others). My friend Shriek was often found in the arms of Grappler, her Dusknoir boyfriend. Froza was currently dating a Sableye named Blink (which was ironic, as Sableye never really DO blink- weirdoes). Darkling was often found parading around with his own crew, so we rarely talked anymore (although we had fun when we did). But for the most part, when Raggedy was away, I was bored, apathetic, and…lonely, almost.

One day, after he returned from one of these journeys, I decided to ask him.

"You've been gone for about three days…where do you go on these trips of yours, Raggedy?"

He arched a brow. "Why do you ask that?"

"Because I'm curious, stupid," I said sarcastically. He chuckled.

"Well, if you must know, I'm searching."

"Searching," I repeated. "For what?"

"What do you think?"

I frowned. "You're looking for the girl that dumped you, aren't you?"

"Very astute, Violet. One of the things that makes you attractive. Yes, I'm looking for Vicky. Just because I haven't seen her in ages doesn't mean I've forgotten my revenge."

He got up and stretched. "Day shall be here soon. You should go inside some old shed and get some rest."

Raggedy had the insomnia ability, so he never slept, but now I realized how tired I was. I bid him farewell, before I went off and found a place to rest.

It wasn't until I was far away when I realized two things.

One, he didn't mention killing me once.

Two, he called me attractive.

**000**

The next time he decided to go on one of his searches, I went with him. While he didn't think I would like it too much, he appreciated the company. We floated across the country side, over mountains, across large blue oceans. Eventually, we found a seaside town.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Cianwood Town," he explained. "I haven't searched here yet. It's in Johto."

Johto? We came all the way from SINNOH to JOHTO in a single night? Dang…time flies when you're with Raggedy.

The Banette peered in every window, searched every room of every house, and looked in every nook or cranny he could find. He checked the Pokémon Center, he checked the Poke mart, even the gym. I was fairly surprised at how dedicated he was to his thoughts of revenge…

It was kind of creepy, that's for sure.

Eventually, he told me we should head back. When I asked him why we weren't looking at any other towns, he just sighed.

"I'm tired now," he said. "And though I can't sleep, I'd rather go back to Veilstone and relax."

Soon, we began to float back. Raggedy's eyes were troubled. I laid a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at me in alarm, but relaxed a moment later.

After that, we continued to fly throughout the night.

**000**

A few meetings later, Raggedy seemed to be depressed in a way. When I tried talking to him, he just let out a grunt. I left him alone for awhile, but later that night, he found me.

"Sorry that I've been so rude lately," he said, sitting down near me.

"Well, I figured something was bugging you," I said carefully- I didn't want to aggravate him.

"I've just been thinking. Making up my mind, and making decisions about what I should do."

I frowned. "About what?"

"About this…this idea of revenge I have. It's getting me nowhere," he said sadly. "I can't find her, and I don't think I ever will. I think I'm just going to…give up."

My jaw dropped. "Are you sure, Raggedy? Are you really sure?"

He gave me a sad smile. "I can't kill Vicky, and I can't kill you. I probably can't kill anyone else. So why even bother. I give up."

"Are you absolutely sure?" I asked.

"Yes. My grudge is completely gone. I could almost say I forgive Vicky…you've rubbed off on me. You've made me a bit more forgiving, a bit more…friendly. And it's nauseating. And no matter how much I fight it, it still works," he said venomously. I was a bit shocked, but what he said next shocked me even more.

"Maybe that's why I like you so much."

After that, he floated away. And in the dark gloom of the alley we had met in, I knew only one thing.

I was blushing.

**000**

After that, instead of finding him to be unnerving, I found him rather…polite…pleasant…relaxed. I was enjoying the change. Ever since he let go of that old grudge, he'd become my closest friend. And a little bit more.

He would leave dead roses for me sometimes. Other times, I'd be wandering around, where he'd pop out of nowhere. I was almost ashamed to admit that I'd fallen in love the ghost that had wanted to kill me. The ghost who wanted nothing more than blood to be soaked into his hands. But I had, and that was that.

The best part was the fact that he loved me too. I asked him, and he admitted it.

"I'm so happy that you've stopped wanting me dead," I said, snuggling against him as the sun rose into the sky.

"No, I still want to kill you," he said. I gave him a strange look. "You're the second thing I love most. The first is the thought of killing you."

His eyes softened a little. "But if I can't have that…I suppose you're the next best thing."

Most people (and ghosts) would've been scared by that, but from Raggedy, that was practically an "I love you". Well, that was how I took it, anyways.

I really didn't care that he was kind of psycho- he was my psycho. Now that he left those old hateful ideas behind, I could love him. And he could love me.

**000**

Yes, this…this other Pokémon…he made me feel alive again. We'd soar across forests and valleys, we'd scare children and kids and laugh about later, and sometimes we would simply watch the moon set on tall buildings. I'd wake up and find that he'd brought me little gifts on occasion (I tried to tell him stealing was wrong, but he never listened).

Oh, the relaxing, carefree days. The magical nights. My old boring life was gone when Raggedy came into it. Now, everything seemed fun. Before long, he had stopped threatening to kill me all together. It was everything I had ever wanted. But even though I had everything I wanted, I wasn't bored. No, I was kept entertained all along. I was happy. I thought nothing could ruin this thing we had.

Nothing except one thing.

**000**

One day, I had been waking up, late in the evening. Raggedy had been out doing Arceus-knows-what. I sighed and waited for him to show up. Nowadays, Raggedy was accepted by Darkling and the other ghosts, so we were going out for a Scare-a-thon this evening (whoever got the best scare on someone won). Soon, he showed up. But something was different about him.

His grin looked strained, in a way. His eyes were glittering the way they used to when he threatened to kill me. He was twitching and shuddering, as if he was having a fit. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

"Raggedy?" I asked. "Are you alright? You look a little shaken."

He gave his smile, the one that usually made my spectral body feel warm, but made me freeze up now. He only said one thing.

"I found Vicky."

**000**

We were standing atop a large building a few days later.

"She's in there," Raggedy crooned. "Fourth floor, second room on the right. She's right in there."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Let me see."

We floated down, and Raggedy looked until he found the right room. Then he let out a soft cackle and nudged me, motioning for me to look.

And there she was, with her Pokémon, a Natu. The Banette's eyes burned with a dark rage. Vicky had long blonde hair, and was wearing a simple jacket and pants. She was smiling and petting her Natu on the head. She didn't seem like a bad person, but Raggedy's rage was more apparent than ever before.

"That's her?" I asked. She seemed fairly young. Maybe 15 or 16. She had her whole life ahead of her as a trainer. I didn't want to take that away.

"Oh yes…I'd recognize her anywhere," hissed the Banette beside me. He floated back upwards to the top of the building. I followed him.

"She's back…she's finally been found," he whispered, his grin making him look manic and insane. "I've finally got her. My revenge will be COMPLETE!"

"Raggedy…you haven't forgotten me, right?" I asked hesitantly. If he had to kill his old owner, so be it. But if he remembered me, I'd be okay with it.

"Of course I haven't forgotten you, my lovely," he said quietly. I gave him a small smile.

"I'll need your help. You can hold her down while I finish her off."

I shuddered. It had gone into a full circle. He had been kind, sweet, and charming. Now he was psychotic and crazy once more.

**000**

We had decided to do it in a week's time. Raggedy had been coming up with all kinds of crazy plans to get into the house without being noticed. He had spied on her, seeing how many Pokémon she had. Apparently, all of the others were in the daycare at Solaceon Town. The only one with her was her Natu, which the Banette wasn't concerned about.

He had included me in the plan, telling when and what I should do. I could only nod glumly. This wasn't something I wanted to do.

But when it was the night before, I finally spoke up.

"Raggedy?"

"Hmmm?"

"There's still time for you to change your mind. You can still stop this. You don't have to do it."

He gave me a confused look, and actually looked as if he was thinking it over. I held my breath. Could I actually get through to him.

Of course not. He shook his head. "No…I'm grateful for your concern, Violet, but no. She slipped through my fingers once. Never again. I gave up, but now that this opportunity sits in a nearby apartment…no, this time I will not fail to kill her. She won't stop me!"

**000**

Vicky cowered against the wall in fear, tears streaming down her face.

Raggedy was drawing ever closer, chuckling maliciously under his breath. A knife was held in his hand. I stood near the door, standing guard.

We had gone through the window, and into the kitchen. Vicky had been watching TV and didn't notice us. Eventually, once the Banette found the knife he was looking for, we headed into the living room. Upon seeing the murderous Pokémon carrying a knife, Vicky ordered her Natu to attack. All it took was a single Shadow Claw from Banette to knock the thing out. It was next to me now, unconscious. Raggedy had ordered me to keep an eye on it, just in case. Meanwhile, Raggedy advanced on his old owner, red eyes staring at her with killing intent.

"Remember me?" he whispered. Vicky held her breath. There was a device now that let you understand what your Pokémon were saying.

"Raggedy?" she whispered. Raggedy threw back his head and roared with laughter.

"Right you are, dear," he whispered, drawing closer. "Remember that day, when you threw me away? You didn't feel any pain then, but I did. The pain was horrifying. Can you imagine it?"

She stood still, still sobbing softly.

"CAN YOU IMAGINE IT?" he roared.

"N-no…I can't…but please, Raggedy, listen to me!" she begged. Raggedy just drew closer, knife still twirling in his fingers.

"I didn't want to throw you away! I wanted to keep you, as a memory of childhood. But…but my mother made me throw you away because she thought I was too old for you! I wanted to keep you, I really did, but my mother forced me!"

Raggedy stopped, eyes wide with shock. I stared, surprised. I was right. She wasn't such a bad girl.

"Raggedy…she's telling the truth," I said. Raggedy looked back at me, eyes dark with pain, confusion, and anger. He started clutching his head. He didn't know what to do. He began to growl and curse. This was too much for him to handle.

"Please, Raggedy, put down the knife!" I pleaded. He didn't act as if he heard me.

"Raggedy, I'm so sorry! Please…please…I still love you. You were my favorite doll," whispered Vicky. Raggedy looked at her, but as he was twitching, he suddenly stopped.

Vicky looked relieved. I looked horrified. She thought he was done, but I knew better. The Banette had finally snapped.

"Liar!" he shouted. His red eyes glowed with his grudge. "LIAR!"

Running forward, he raised the knife high into the air.

I was faster. I couldn't let him to do this. I had to stop this monster. I floated forward until I was next to him- I was always faster. Reaching out a hand, I unzipped his zipper.

He stopped.

Unzipping a Banette's zipper is one of the few rare ways to destroy a ghost. A Banette's murderous soul is contained in the body of its marionette-like form. But now…now that the zipper was open, the soul would be freed, and Raggedy's body would return to the doll it once was. After all, a Banettte couldn't open or close their zipper. They are unable to- no one knows why.

He stopped moving altogether, but the shock on his face was plain. Then, all of a sudden, energy began to pour out of his body. His eyes were still glowing with shock, as angry spirits emerged from his mouth. White, gray, red, and black- all screaming curses and screeching and roaring.

Giving Vicky a look, I spoke to her.

"Forget this ever happened. Never speak of it again."

Vicky let out a sob and nodded her head.

I grabbed Raggedy's body and floated out the window. Eventually, we reached the top of the apartment building. I laid down his wracking and writhing body. The flow of spirits and energies was diminishing now, allowing the Banette to finally speak.

"Wh…why?" he rasped.

I shook my head. "It wasn't the right thing to do, Raggedy. When you gave up that old grudge of yours, you became popular, friendly, and kind. But now that it's come back, it's destroyed you. She was innocent, Raggedy. You were going to kill an innocent girl."

"She betrayed me!" he choked out.

"She didn't," I said. "I did. I couldn't stand to see what you were becoming. It's my fault for not stopping you sooner. I had to end it."

The energy was almost all gone. Raggedy's body was starting to become still.

"Even when I'm dying right in front of you," he hissed. "I still want to kill you."

He summoned some of his remaining strength, and his hand turned into the large claws they had been when he had knocked out that Natu.

"Die with me," he whispered. "Don't leave me…I don't want to be abandoned…again…"

I stared down at him, sorrow filling me.

"I wish you could kill me," I whispered. "Then we could stay together…but you can't. Goodbye, my love."

Raggedy's eyes flashed, but at that moment, the last spirit floated out of his body. He gave me one last look, filled with pain, anger, sorrow, happiness, acceptance, and love, all at once.

And then he died.

**000**

I buried Raggedy far away, where no one would find him. Everyone questioned me on the Banette's disappearance. I told them that he had just taken a big vacation for a while. When asked why I didn't go with him, I simply said that he had left during the day, when I had been asleep. I didn't have the guts to tell them the truth…not that I had guts anyway.

I had tried to get over Raggedy in the year following that fateful night. I had dated Dusknoir, Gengar, Sableye, and other ghosts. But no matter what…nothing could fill the void.

Though the Dusknoir had red eyes, they didn't pierce me the way Raggedy's did. And though Sableye had large grins, they didn't have the same effect as Raggedy's golden teeth. And though the Gengar had big smiles, and red eyes, the combination still didn't work. I had even gone out with more sane Banette, ones that had sworn off their old grudges (or had already achieved them)…but none of them were like him. He had been special. These were just pale imitations of Raggedy.

Life was mundane again.

**000**

I wandered the streets of Veilstone after dark, simply humming a sad tune to myself. I had already scared two men, a woman, a child, and a Growlithe today. But even though I made the fully grown man wet his pants, I still wasn't too happy. Sighing, I levitated down onto a bench, and picked up a newspaper that was laying there.

_Top Story: Mysterious Death of Comatose Patient!_

I arched a brow. I flipped to the page and read.

_A few days ago, local Veilstone citizen Victoria "Vicky" Donovan was scared into a coma. It was unknown what had happened to her. Vicky had been at a party, and went outside to get some fresh air. Her friends had apparently heard her scream in fright, and found her body frozen on the ground, her expression horrified._

_Doctors later confirmed the Vicky was scared into a coma by an unknown source, and she was placed in a hospital on a feeding tube. But today, the feeding tube was found cut in two. Doctors are unsure how such a thing could have happened, as it happened in the middle of the night, when no visitors were allowed in, and no doctors entered her chamber. The tube looked as if it was slashed through, but it is unknown what tool was used- investigators say that the sliced tube looked rough, and that it was not a clean cut._

_More information will be printed when we find out more about this murder._

_R.I.P Vicky._

I closed the paper, shocked. Vicky had died…almost a year after I had stopped Raggedy from killing her. I sighed. So I needn't have destroyed Raggedy. But still…the manner of death disturbed me. She had been knocked into a coma, where she wouldn't be able to defend herself, and killed. What had happened?

While I was thinking, someone came behind me and wrapped their arms around me. I froze in shock. Who would be out this late at night? Then I heard a voice whisper in my ear.

"Hello. Can I kill you?"

**000**

And that's the end. So, the ending MIGHT confuse you a little bit, so I'll explain it.

Basically, about a year after Violet "killed" Raggedy, his wandering soul found his body which was buried far away. It took him a few days to find her in Veilstone City again. But this time, he killed Vicky BEFORE Violet could stop him.

Raggedy scared her into a coma, and went to her room in the hospitable, and cut her feeding tube with Shadow Claw, explaining the lack of a clean cut.

And now he's back. Will he try and kill Violet in revenge, or will he love her now that his grudge has been dealt with? That's your call, my readers. Your call.

While this was only a oneshot, the characters really grew on me. Maybe I'll write another story about Violet and Raggedy- after all, I love the Banette/Mismagius pairing.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this oneshot. I'll probably belt out some more some other time.

-Dark Amphithere


End file.
